Trolley wire contactor



ISnventor April 2, 1940. s. s. MATTHES 'rnoLLEY WIRE coNTAcTon Original Filed May 17, 1938 SmUEL .S MA FEES Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES v,2,195,735 y TROLLEY WIRE CONTACTOR Samuel S. Matthes, Mansfield,

Ohio, assignor to The Ohio Brass Company, Mansfield, Ohio, a.

' corporation of New Jersey Continuation of May 1'2, 1938. Serial No. 289,166

4 Claims.

subject to wear may be easily and convenientlyv renewed.

' Another object is to provide a device which may be adapted to various wire conditions by merely changing certain parts, thus avoiding the necesr sity of making up an entire new device for each wire condition.

Other objects will be hereinafter disclosed and be evident to those skilled in the art.

My invention resides in the new and novel construction, combination and relation ofv the various parts disclosed in this speciiication and the accompanying drawing and set forth in' the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of my Fig. 2 is a top view of Fig. 1. f

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4- is a view in partial sectiontaken line 4 4 of Fig. 2 in combination collector.

Fig. 5 is a side view of one part of my invention which I term the body member. l

Fig. 6 is a side view of one part otmy invention which I term the arcing tip. y

Fig. 7 is a top View of Fig. 6.

invention.

on the In the preferred embodiment of my invention I make use of a body member I of predetermined length. The body member comprises an `elongated web 2 having a threaded boss 3 by means of which the device is attached to an overhead support. The web portion 2 is provided at its ends with transverse openings 4 and 5 and is, also,

providedwith intermediate transverse openings lh The web portion 2 is, also, provided with an upper flange 1 andlower flanges 8 and 9 which add materially to the strength'of the body'memi i ber inresisting bending.

To each end of the body member is secured a detachable end Ill which is provided with spaced flanges II forming therebetween a groove to receive the end portion I2 of the web 2. The flanges II' are provided with transverse openings which register with the openings 4 in the portion I2 of the web and the member 2 and the end members I0 are secured in position by means of through bolts I3.

The end members I0 and the body member I are of metal and in electrical contact.

The end members Ill are provided with means for receiving the ends of the trolley wire I4. As

application Serial No. This application August `9,

with a current there are many types and sizes oi trolley wire, it is advantageous in many ways to have the end members vIII detachable from the body member I, thus, making it possible through the use of a single body member to adapt the device to the various sizes and styles of trolley wire by merely forming the end members I0 to meet the different wire conditions then applying them to the body member as required.

, The trolley wire I`4 of set screws I5.

Intermediate theends of the body member I is a contact member I6 provided adjacent each end with apair of spaced lugs I'I. Each pair of lugs is provided withA transverse openings which register axially wi h the openings in the body member I. v

In the class of devices in which this invention falls it is important that the contact member I6 be insulated from-the trolley wires I4 and, therefore,A I place .an insulating bushing I8 in each opening '6 and insulating washers I9 on opposite -sides of` the web 2 and interposed between the web and lugs I1.

The contactmember I`6 is heldin position with respect to `the bodyv member I by means' of vthrough bolts 20. If desired, the insulation between-the contact member and the body member may bemodied from that disclosecLbut I find the arrangementdescribed simple and eflicient. The ends of the contact member I6 are spaced a somewhat considerable d` tance from the ends of the vmembers I0 and I position in such space arcing tps2 I, each provided with a pair of spaced lugs 22 provided with openings 23 which register with the openings 5 in the body member I.

Each arcing tip 2I is in Contact with the body -member I and has one face 24 abutting the adjacent end face 25 of the' end member I6 or in very. close relation thereto. The other face 26 lof the arcingitip 2l is spaced from the adjacent endv face 21 of the contact member'l and the faces '26 vand 2'Ik are parallel but disposed diagonally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the device. n

The lower surfaces 28 of the trolley wire and 29 of the arcin'g-tip 2I and 3b of the contact member I6 arev in alignment, thus permitting a smooth passage of the current collector 3l across the device and when the collector tl passes from the part 2! tothe part I5 or vice versa, it will contactwith each of these parts simultaneously thus eliminating entirely or to a large extent vany arcing in making such passage.

The part 2l, however, is easily detached and replaced with a newppart as is also the part I6. The parts Il! and and electrically connected through the member I, no arcing takes place as the 2l being of the same polarity` current collector arately formed lug inserted in a cavity 33 and may be of metal or insulating material.

By constructing the end-of the body portion I,l

as shown and described, it is possible Whenever desirable to atta-ch the body member to other devices used in overhead trolley construction by 1forming a cooperating part on said device.

The member i6 is provided with a connecting part 34 to receive a conductor from the device to be operated, as for instance the operating coil of an electric switch. Since the member IG is insulatedifrom the trolley wire lli, current may be drawn through the said operating coil when the current collector 3i engages the member it. Having described-my invention others skilled in the art will recognize modincations which may be made and which may fall within the scope of my invention and, therefore, I wish to be limited only by my claims..

I claim:

l. A trolley contactor for the purpose described comprising in combination, an elongated body member of metal, means for attaching the body to a support, detachable end means at each end of the body, transversely disposed means'to se-v cure the detachable means tothe body in electrical contact therewith, each' detachable end means provided with means to receive a trolley wire end and means to removably secure the trolley wire in position, an elongated contact member detachably secured to the body member intermediate its ends and having its lower surface adapted to contact with a current collector and in alinement with the lower siu'face of the trolley wire, a pair of spaced lugs at eachfend the contact member to receive therebetween the body member, registering transverse openings in the lugs and body member, insulating members positioned in the openings through the body member and between the body member and .de lugs to insulate the contact member from the body member, transversely disposed means at each end of the contact member extending through the said openings to detachably secure the contact member to the body member, a pair of renewable arcing tips electrically secured to the body member, one tip at each end of the contact member between the end of the contact member and the detachable end means, each tip having-one end face abuttingthe detachable end means and the other face spaced from the adjacentend face of the contact memberV and the said end faces parallel and obliquely disposed to the longitduinal axis ofthe contacter whereby a moving current collector will engage simultaneously both the contact member and the arcing tip .in passing from the one part onto the other, the lower surface of the arcing tip being in alinernent with the lower surface of the contact member and the trolley wire.

2. In a trolley Wire contact device comprising in combination, a pair of sp-aced end members of metal each adapted to receive and hold a trolley wire end and a separately formed elongated body member of metal having ends to which the end members are secured to hold the end members in xed and electrically connected relation and also having a pair of spaced arcing tips of metal, each tip secured to the body member adjacent an end member and electrically connected thereto, the combination with the body member of a contact member of metal having two pairs of upstanding lugs, one pair adjacent each end of the contact member and forming a groove within which rthe body `member is secured in insulated relation to the contact member, the adjacent ends of the contact member and arcing tips being lapped but spaced and transverse means extending through the lugs and body member to secure thebody and contact together' and means insulating the body from the contact member.

3; In a Contact device for the purpose described, having an elongated body of metal, metallic end/members, one at each end of the body secured thereto by tongue and groove joints and transverse means to prevent displacement and holdthe parts in electrical connection, each end member having a straight groove along one edge to receive an end of the trolley wire without bending and with its lower edge exposed and also having means to hold the wire in place, arcing means electrically and detachably secured to the body to extend in eiect the inner ends of the end member towards each other, the combination with the body of an elongated contact member of metal positioned'between the inner ends of the arcing means and having a pair of spaced upstanding lugs adjacent each end between which the body is positioned andfrom which the body is insulated, the 'contact being of such `length as to be spaced from each end of the said arcing means, means extending through the lugs and body to detachably secure the contact member" in place and insulating means positioned between the lugs and the body to insulate the body and contact member, the adjacent ends of the Contact member and of the arcing means being lapped but spaced' such that a passing current collector will be in engagement with both parts at the same time and means associatedwith the contact member to secure a conductor thereto.

4. In a trolley wire contact device comprising in combination, a pair of spaced end members of metal each havingmeans to receive and hold a trolley wire end anda separately formed elongated -body member of metal having ends to which the end members are secured to hold the end members in fixed relation to the body member and to each other and also having a pair of spaced arcing tips of metal, each tip secured to the body member adjacent an end member and electrically connected to the adjacent end member, the combination'with the body member ,of a contact member of metal having spaced upstanding means adjacent the ends of the contact member to secure the contact member to the body member, the adjacent ends of the contact memberand the arcing tips being lapped but spaced and means to secure the spaced upstanding means to the body member to secure the contact member'to the body member and means associated with they body member whereby the contact member and the end members are insulated from each other.

SAMUEL S. MATTI-IES. 

